Chapter 187

Iris

“Miss Willford! Iris! Wake up!”

Someone is shaking me. Hard. I slowly open my eyes, blinking against the harsh lights of my studio. Everything hurts—my head is pounding, my muscles ache, and my throat feels raw, like I’ve been screaming.

Emi’s concerned face hovers over me. “Goddess, you scared me. I heard crashing and when you didn’t answer… I thought…”

I push myself up on my elbows, wincing as I survey the destruction around me. Torn canvas. Overturned taboret. Broken brushes. Feathers everywhere.

Did I do all this?

“Are you hurt?” Emi asks. “Should I call a doctor?”

“No,” I croak. “I’m fine. Just… had a moment.”

A moment? Is that what we’re calling hallucinating a giant wolf that speaks to you now?

Beware the serpent. She shares our family’s gifts, but twisted them into something dark and bloody…

The sapphires… It was her all along. It was always her…

Nora.

Was any of that even real? Was that… my wolf? The one I’ve never had, finally showing herself? Or was it just a mental breakdown of some kind?

I glance around the studio, half-expecting to see the she-wolf still lurking in the corner. But there’s nothing there. No presence in my mind. No voice whispering warnings. Just me and Emi, surrounded by the aftermath of my rage.

“Let me help you up,” Emi says, extending her hand.

I take it, letting her pull me to my feet. And then, I do something I’ve never done before—I hug her. I just wrap my arms around her and hold on, needing an anchor to reality after whatever the hell just happened.

Emi stiffens in surprise, then awkwardly pats my back. “Um… there, there?”

I let out a shaky laugh as I pull away. “Sorry. I just… Thank you. For checking on me. I’m sorry I made you leave earlier.”

“Of course,” she says, looking a bit flustered. “It’s my job. Next time, I’m staying.”

“Fair enough. What time is it?”

“Almost two,” Emi tells me. “You’ve been up here for hours.”

Hours? It feels like only minutes have passed. “I need to pick Miles up from school soon.”

“I can get him,” Emi offers. “You should rest.”

I shake my head. “No. I need to get out of here, get some fresh air.” I need to think about what happened, what that vision meant—if it meant anything at all. And most of all, I need to talk to someone about Nora.

“I need to go to my parents’ house,” I say suddenly. “After we pick up Miles.”

Emi looks concerned but doesn’t argue. “Very well. I’ll get the car ready.”

Forty minutes later, Miles is chattering happily in the backseat as we drive toward my parents’ estate. He’s excited to see his grandparents, and had a good day at school—one that didn’t involve other kids teasing him about me and Arthur. I’m glad for that, at least.

When we arrive at my parents’ estate, my mother greets us at the door with open arms. She scoops Miles up into a tight hug, which he squirms out of, declaring himself “too big” for such treatment before racing off to find my father.

“He’s in his study,” my mother calls after him. She turns to me with a worried smile. “You look terrible, darling.”

“Thanks,” I say dryly. “It’s been a long day.”

“I heard about Arthur and Veronica,” she says, ushering me inside. “It’s all over the news.”

Of course it is. “Can we talk? Somewhere private?”

My mother nods, leading me to the solarium at the back of the house. It has quickly become one of my favorite places in this house—bright and airy, filled with plants and comfortable furniture. We sit on the wicker sofa, and I immediately ask, “Where’s Nora?”

My mother looks surprised as she pours two cups of steaming tea. “Nora? She’s out today. It’s her day off. Why?”

I hesitate, unsure how to explain any of this nonsense without sounding crazy. “There’s something… odd going on. The police came to question me today about Veronica’s poisoning.”

“What?” My mother’s eyes widen. “Why would they question you?”

I take a deep breath and tell her everything—about the poisoned sapphire, about how it came from the necklace Nora gave me. I leave out the part about my dream, or vision, or whatever the hell that was. It sounds too much like I’ve lost my mind, and the more time that spans between the moment it happened and now, the more I’ve convinced myself it was all nonsense.

“The detective seemed to think I did it,” I finish. “That I poisoned Veronica because of her relationship with Arthur.”

My mother’s face is pale. “That’s absurd! You would never do such a thing.”

“I know that. You know that. But the evidence points to me.” I lean forward, lowering my voice. “Is it possible… could Nora have done this deliberately? Given me a necklace with a poisoned stone?”

“Nora?” My mother looks like I’ve just slapped her across the face. “Why would she do such a thing?”

“I don’t know…” I bite my lower lip. “But she gave me the necklace. And the stone that contained the poison fell out that night. I’d like to talk to her, see if she knows anything.”

My mother shakes her head. “Iris, I understand you were a victim of Selina’s for some time, but Nora has been with our family for decades. She’s one of our most trusted friends. And she hardly even knows Veronica. What possible motive could she have for poisoning her or framing you, of all people?”

She’s right, of course. It doesn’t make any sense.

“Maybe you’re right,” I sigh, flopping back in my seat. “Maybe I’m just paranoid because of everything that’s happening.”

My mother takes my hand. “I understand why you’re suspicious, darling. Selina did a number on you with her machinations, and this is indeed a strange coincidence. But I’m sure there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know yet. But I promise I’ll speak to Nora privately about it. Without accusations,” she adds when she sees my expression. “Just to see what she knows about the necklace. Where she got it, who made it, that sort of thing.”

I nod, although I’m not entirely convinced. “Thank you.”

“In the meantime, try not to worry too much. These ridiculous allegations won’t go anywhere. There’s no actual evidence linking you to the poisoning. Caleb and your father will handle the legal matters.”

I hope she’s right. The last thing I need right now is a murder charge on top of everything else.

“What about Arthur?” my mother asks gently. “Have you spoken to him?”

I shake my head, my throat tightening painfully just at the mention of his name. “No. I’ve seen the photos, though. Him and Veronica. The ring.”

My mother’s expression hardens into a look of steel that I rarely see on her. “That man has a lot to answer for.”

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” I say, trying to convince myself as much as her. “He’s made his choice.”

“And what will you do now?”

What do I do now? Stay in the apartment alone with Miles? Go back to my art? Pretend my heart isn’t breaking all over again? Run away, just like I did the first time? No—that part, at least, I can’t do. I can’t uproot Miles again. He’s enjoying school too much, making friends. We have a life here now. I can’t just… leave.

“I don’t know,” I admit. “One day at a time, I guess.”

My mother squeezes my hand. “You’ll always have a home here, you know that.”

“I know. But right now, I can’t make any decisions. I need to focus on Miles, on keeping things as normal as possible for him. He’s moved around enough, and he loves Wellington, so I want to stay near the school.”

My mother is just about to respond when there’s a commotion at the front of the house. Suddenly, the door bursts open, and to my complete surprise, Ezra rushes in. His suit is disheveled, and there’s a large tear in the fabric on his left lapel, right where his Beta pin used to sit.

“Ezra?” I say, rising from the sofa. “What are you doing here?”

“Iris, thank the Goddess. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Something is going on with Arthur. I need your help.”